Lift HIgh the Cross for Handbells

The hymn is quite familiar to us. We hear it frequently during Lent, sung in triumph, a celebration of victory over death. In preparation for this Lenten Season, our handbell choir has been rehearsing this arrangement for handbells and choir.

LIFT HIGH THE CROSS, handbell arrangement by Arnold Sherman

The hymn also carries a message of outreach - to lift high the cross and proclaim the Good News. (Source: The Center for Church Music)

Ring, Plunk, Pluck

We join the Music Ministry for many reasons. Cecille Waggner writes about joining the handbell choir.

I never considered myself the creative or artistic type, preferring math formulas and the scientific process over the subjectivism of the arts. But when my sister told me that Francesco was starting a handbell choir at the parish, I was curious. I figured I could always quit if it didn’t work out.

Now I love every single plunk, pluck, ring, thumb damp, and shake and I'm still discovering the different sounds those bells can produce. I know now that my childhood music lessons were not for naught (thanks Dad!). I like being part of this group of musicians (an ensemble really) - from our newest member Ghislaine and her do-re-mi, to Bridget who can now sight read music like a pro to Precy, our resident nurse.

Each of our 11 ringers has a role to play and no single ringer is more important than the other. We enjoy our rehearsals, sweat through our performances, and we keep coming back for more. In my next post, I'll share some of the new musical pieces for the Lenten season.

Here’s Francesco’s invitation to join our handbell choir.

Breathe

Anyone who has even a 1 min. exposure to yoga (even as an uninterested observer) understands the importance of breathing.  Breathing is life and it's easy to take it for granted, until shortness of breath or anxiety make us painfully aware that we are not getting enough air.  Breathe is a widely popular contemporary piece by M. Barnett that likens air to "His Holy presence, living in me".

The Parish and Handbell Choirs will perform Breathe at the Valley Beth Shalom Interfaith Service on March 13 at 8 p.m.   The music includes the hymn Breathe on Me, Breath of God and remains a Bell Choir favorite.   No tickets are required for this event.

No Prior Experience Necessary

The Handbell Choir consists of musicians looking for an invigorating and challenging musical experience. No prior bell ringing experience is necessary. Anyone interested in joining the St. Mel Handbell Choir may contact Francesco alleRuzzo at falleruzzo@stmel.org. The choir is currently practicing for Lent and Easter. Practices are:
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays 3:15 p.m. (Children's Bell Choir)
Thursdays 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
Saturdays 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

More Reasons to Ring

"I enjoy the bell choir for many reasons: the camaraderie among the players, the challenges presented with many of the pieces, our dear choir director who is so very patient with us, the mental stimulation I receive, the beautiful music we help create."
- Elli

"I like the bell choir, because I can't really sing (though I like to) and this allows me to be musical and be a participating member of the mass. I also LOVE the friendships that have grown over many, many hours of practice. "
- Claire
"...because I am a part of something that is for the church. I love the sounds the bells make. I enjoy our camaraderie. ... I don't think about anything else but what I am doing. I get to block out reality and the world for a while and play music with other people and for God."
- Audrey

Reasons to Ring

In the Bell Choir, you don't just read the notes and wait until your bell shows up. You have to stay alert and ready to do whatever the symbols require: you thumb damp it, ring touch it, swing it, shake it, plunk it on the table, hit it with a mallet and then you have to watch the dynamics, make sure you pick up the C sharp and not the C natural, all the while wishing you had three hands.

Bridget enjoys the bell choir because it gives her a chance to learn something new. When she joined the choir, she had no prior music experience and didn't read music. "Francesco has helped me so much. I feel I can just relax and let someone else be in charge for a change. All I need to do is follow instuctions...it's a relief. I also enjoy how accepting the other members of the choir have been even though I was a true beginner. Everyone has been patient. This past year in bell choir has helped me to escape the stress and pressures of work. I love it."

Carol of the Bells wasn't originally a Christmas Song

The song was originally a Ukrainian folk song composed by Mykola Leontovich in 1916. It tells the story of a swallow flying into a household proclaiming the bountiful year that they will have. (we need a bountiful year!) It was traditionally sang to celebrate the New Year.

The Carol of the Bells lyrics were added to the original folk music from the Ukraine by Peter Wilhousky almost a decade later in 1936.

When performed by the Bell Choir and the Parish Choir, "Carol of the Bells" usually begins quietly, and grows louder and louder as each voice is added, and at the end fades to a pianissimo.

Bell Choir Picks

"One of the pieces I like best is Carol of the Bells. It's a fun piece to play and great listening. Many friends have remarked how much they enjoy listening to the music. My son came from San Diego to hear the music, and thoroughly enjoyed the bell's pieces."
- Lili

"The bell choir piece I enjoyed the best was Jesus, Jesus, Rest your Head. It symbolized the Christmas season for me, quiet and spiritual."
- Ellie

"My favorite piece was Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head. It was so peaceful in it's rhythm that it put me in a peaceful and relaxed mood. "
- Bridget

"How Great Our Joy is my favorite. I love the changes in tempo and key, the accidentals, the crescendos and that fermata. It's just like Christmas - sometimes hectic and crazy, sometimes quiet and reflective and sometimes, you just want to pause."
- Cecille

"I like the first song we played before mass, that I made Francesco let us play again at the end of mass, because it was challenging, having a variety of rhythms, tempo changes, and key changes. It was also a very exciting piece."
- Claire

"...the piece that had my solo entry, that was the one I liked most."
- Audrey


Our next blog posting...why join the handbell choir. Stay tuned.

Bell Choir Christmas Performances

Last Christmas, the Intermediate Handbell Choir lifted spirits with ringing -- from the gentle sounds of Carol of the Bells to the grand Joy to the World.
- One parishioner was overheard thanking the choir for the beautiful music.
- A non-parishioner said they'd come to Mass more often just to hear the bells
- Monsignor personally visited the choir loft and thanked the choir for bringing a new dimension to the Christmas Mass.














Performances were at 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve and again at 11:30 a.m. on Christmas Day.

Members of the handbell choir: CATHY CYGAN, DOROTHY COLLINS, ELLIE MAAT, LILI GLEESON, EMILY ORMOND, MARGOT HIRD, BRIDGET TIMBERLAKE, CLAIRE RAFT, CECILLE WAGGNER, AUDREY VASQUEZ, PRECY SERASPI, TYLEESE POTTER